March 25, 2011

DJ Handi's Archive Picks: Session People (2)

Last week I spit in the ocean, finding WFMU archives of obscure recordings with famous session musicians. Here are a few last drops.

In late 1960's and early 1970's England, alto sax player Elton Dean worked in progressive rock with musicians like Marc Charig and Karl Jenkins. Dean is on "A New Awakening" from Julie Driscoll''s album 1969 (actually released in '71). Bob Brainen preceded this track with Dimitri Tiomkin. Bill Zurat played Dean on "Out-Bloody-Rageous from the epic Soft Machine Third. Elton John took "Elton" from Dean for his stage name. Both archives require a Real Player.

Ever hear Tony Burrows? He sang with one hit wonders like Edison Lighthouse and Paper Lace: early 1970's prefab studio bands who put singles on the charts. Tony was also in Brotherhood Of Man, whose "Where Are You Going To My Love" played on Night With Maria Levitsky next to, of all people, Reverend Ike. Forgotten 1970's AM radio meets forgotten 1980's access cable..

Guitarist David Spinozza and bassist Tony Levin got the ultimate hat tip when John Lennon and Yoko Ono used them on Double Fantasy in 1980. But from 1969-71, both worked with Mike Mainieri and over a dozen other New York studio people-Steve Gadd, Lew Soloff, Nick Holmes--in the jazz rock White Elephant, played by Jason Elbogen. Listen to "Battle Royale." Levin found music to match his amazing skill when he joined the 1980s incarnation of King Crimson.

How about music after many of us were out of Pampers! Doug Wimbish's chiming, metallic bass was the pulse for Sugarhill Gang and Tackhead with guitarist Skip McDonald and drummer Keith Lablanc. Listen to the glistening 80's production on 'Love Is A House" by Force MDs, played on Awesome New Place by Bennett4Senate. Wimbish also played with the Yohimbe Brothers-Vernon Reid and DJ Logic-whose "Prelude To A Diss" Charlie played on Busy Doing Nothing, in Real Audio. Wimbish worked with Mick Jagger as well, and later joined Reid in Living Colour.

I'm sure I missed many important session people. Someone should write a book on this if they have not already. Find any player I mentioned in these two posts on All Music Guide, You'll discover enough musicians and recordings to keep you infinitely busy.

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I still own the White Elephant LP, not just because the music is truly astounding, but also because I think it has the greatest version of Auld Lang Syne, clocking in at nearly 7 minutes (I also STILl have the promo 45 edit somewhere, too). Nick Holmes is the vocalist and I wish I had his sole LP on Just Sunshine Records (headed by former Woodstock wunderkind Michael Lang and home also to LPs by Mississippi Fred McDowell, The Fabulous Rhinestones with their one Top 40 hit 'What A Wonderful Thing We Have' and several other 'lost' beauties). I wish I still had THAT one ( I believe it was call 'Only A Human' and the title cut was terrific as were most of the rest, all backed up[ by White Elephant members.

Spinozza & Levin and Steve Gadd and Warren Bernhardt and Mike Mainieri grouped together a few years later under Aminieri's monicker and did one spectacular LP for Arista called 'Loveplay'. That LP was almost an extension of the White Elephant LP of hip NYC/Woodstock musicians we were lucky to see up in Rochester from time to time...(like L'Image, another 'lost' group from that era). Check out their performance live at the Red Creek Inn in Rochester, NY circa 1977 on YouTube...it's under Steve Gadd's name and you'll see why. BTW, I was the soundman at that gig, and was also the DJ at that legendary Upstate New York club from 1975-1987. Boy, do I have some stories. Check out Remembering Red Creek Inn page on Facebook.